GitHub Star Count Integration

Add live GitHub star counts to websites as social proof. Two patterns depending on traffic level — pick the right one and go.

Decision: Client-Side vs Server-Side

Client-side hook (default) — fetch directly from GitHub API in the browser.

• No API key needed for public repos
• GitHub allows 60 requests/hour per IP (unauthenticated)
• Fine for most sites — each visitor makes their own request
• Star count simply doesn't render if the fetch fails

Server-side caching — proxy through your own API route with a GITHUB_TOKEN.

• Raises the limit to 5,000 requests/hour
• Add next: { revalidate: 300 } to cache for 5 minutes
• Use this for high-traffic pages or when you need the count at build time

Client-Side Hook